Passed AT/AT/AT on 9 months of studying!!

Irony intended in the title. Yes, I studied for 9 months, largely because I didn't find this subreddit sooner but also because I wanted to. I applaud the folks that can prep and pass so quickly, but for those who need more time to prep or just want more time to feel the extra assurance, know that that is ok too.

Shout out to this subreddit for the support. My experience matches with what people have shared. At the risk of parroting what a lot of people already say here, these are the things I'll add my support for:

1. PMI Study Hall - If you only do one thing to study, make it this. Spam as many practice questions as you can. My three mock exam scores were 67%, 74%, and 87%. I paid for premium, and given how much I studied, it was worth it. If it's in your budget and you plan to run a lot of mocks and mini-mocks, I advise premium.
2. Andrew Ramdayal is the GOAT. I took his 35-hour course to meet the education requirement. I also bought his book but hardly used it. If you think you'll get some value out of the book, it's worth buying since the course is included with the purchase. That said you could pass on the book and be happy with Study Hall. Use his mindset video and hard questions video.
3. Exam structure was 40/70/70, confirming what others have posted. I didn't get any leftover case-study questions bleeding into the second or third section, as some people here have mentioned seeing. I did not actually read the case studies. I read the questions first, answered where it made since and if anything was border line, I'd skim back through the case study for helpful context.
4. I was virtual and it went well - I used PearsonVue because I wanted to replicate my study environment. My girlfriend was kind enough to give me the house for the morning and take the dog with her, so we had no risk of interruption. Given the PearsonVue horror stories I've heard, I did hold a lot of anxiety about a surprise fail if I happen to look off screen for a second. This did not happen, even though I did spot a huge spider climbing up my wall behind my monitor about halfway through.

Where I went wrong

I tend to doubt myself and downplay my abilities. Because of that, I spent about 4 months pursuing the CAPM, thinking I wasn't ready for the PMP. It wasn't until I started reading this subreddit that I realized most of my work experience already qualified me for the PMP. I just had to word it right on the application. Once that clicked, I pivoted, and I'm glad I did.

I wouldn't call the 4 months wasted, though if your only goal is to get a cert and move on, you might see it differently. For me, CAPM prep built a lot of the fundamentals and tools/techniques I now use everyday as a PM. The PMP draws on some of that, but it's much more about mindset, as most of you already know. I haven't taken the CAPM myself, but I've heard it's arguably harder than the PMP because it expects you to know a lot of specific tools, charts, and formulas.

A few pro tips

• Eat a savory breakfast before the exam. Consider avoiding anything high in sugar, as it can cause a crash partway through. You need fuel that sustains you across 4 hours. Eat a snack at your breaks as well.
• More specifically, and mildly contrary to my previous statement, before the final 70 questions, eat some sugar (Skittles, chocolate chips, whatever). By the last 50 questions I could feel my brain running out of gas. It was a slugfest getting through. Simple sugars hit your bloodstream faster than complex carbs, so they give your brain quick fuel right when you need it. This is the same reason athletes eat fruit or drink sports drinks mid-game.
• During your breaks, do something to get blood moving like squats, jumping jacks, a lap around the room. Get those wiggles out! I shadowbox lol. I'm sure I looked dumb as hell, but it worked I suppose.
• If you test early in the day, a light walk or jog beforehand helps get blood flowing before you sit for 4 hours. A cold shower on top of that made a noticeable difference for me.
• I did some warm-up questions before starting. It helped a little, but honestly I could've skipped it given everything else I did and the sheer number of questions you do during the exam.

Best of luck friends. Don't be afraid to go for it. If you have any specific questions, feel free to shoot.